Rotating head-carried toy



May 25, 1965 J. J. PETRUCELLI 3,184,884 ROTATING HEAD-CARRIED TOY Filed 4pm 4. 1963 7 FIG. 3. I

K I .uuo J. PETRUCELLI BY 7 ATTORNEYS INVENT OR United States Patent 3,184,884 ROTATING HEAD-CARRIED TOY lilio J. Petrucelii, Locker Road, St. Marys, Pa. Filed Apr. 4, 1963, Ser. No. 270,589

2 Claims. (Cl. 46-51) The present invention is a head-carried toy especially adapted for use by small children.

Objects of the invention are to provide a very simple, inexpensive toy which may be conveniently attached by a child, to his or her head, and rotated, or otherwise operated, by sole movement of the head or entire body; to provide a head-carried toy which avoids the use of head covering, and employs instead, a yieldable band, selfretaining, at a selected place on the head, and operated at the option of and in a manner chosen by the user; and to provide a head-carried toy which, in addition to a head band, includes a pendant, which may be a soft rubber ball on a cord, swivelly or pivotally connected to the band at a point above the latter, and in a manner to permit rotation of the ball around and remote from the head of the user, or in a vertical up and down movement in front of or in back of the head.

Other objects of the invent-ion will be manifest from the following description of the present preferred forms of the invention, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a head-carried toy constructed in accordance with this invention, illustrating its application;

FIG. 2 is a front or rear elevational view of the toy per se;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the toy;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the toy; and

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows and showing to advantage the manner of mounting the pendant assembly on the supporting means.

The device of this invention includes a head-engaging band 10, which is preferably arch shape to conform generally to the contour of the head. The band is relatively narrow, and made of a yieldable material such as plastic, wood, metal or the like. The ends of the band are attached to a strap 11 which is adapted to engage beneath the face, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings. At the apex of the arch, approximately midway the ends of the band is a pintle 12 which engages a complemental recess formed axially in a support 13, the support forming a part of a pendant assembly, generally designated 14. The assembly, in addition to the support 13, further includes an arm 15, one endof which carries a pin 16, which is adapted for engagement in a complemental opening in the top of the support 13, in order to provide a pivot or swivel for the arm 15. The assembly 14 still further includes a flexible connector, such as a cord or cable 17, the free end of which carries a pendant 18, the pendant consisting of a suitable object, such as a rubber ball.

In order to hold the band in a predetermined position on the head, it may be roughened, in any suitable manner, as indicated at 19 in FIG. 2. It is to be understood that if desired, the roughened or serrated surface may be smooth.

In use of this device, the band 10 and strap 11 are slidably engaged over the face and with the head of the user, to a desired position. The strap 11 may be of a suitable elastic material, so as to exert a pressure on the ends of the yieldable band 10. When in position on the head, as shown in FIG. 1 of the drawings, the pendant 18 may be moved around the head of the user in, any one of several ways. It may be freely rotated, clockwise or 3,184,884 Patented May 25, 1965 counter-clockwise; it may be permitted to hang as a pendulum in front of the face of the user, or in back of the head, and be operated in an up and down substantially vertical plane; the pendant 18 may be actuated by the user or by someone else, to impel it in the direction of a given target, within the radius of movement of the pendant, and if desired, the pendant may be actuated by body gyrations to effect directional movements of various miscellany attractive to the user. I am not unmindful of the fact that this invention may be also used in the playing of games, and may be adapted to encourage torsional movements of the head, where muscle activity of the neck is desired.

It is to be understood that although I have herein shown a preferred form of the invention, nevertheless I am aware that structural changes may be made within the scope of the claims hereto appended. For instances, I have, as shown in FIG. 5, interposed a conventional washer 15' between the arm 15 and the top of the support 13 which holds the arm in a desired position between the head of the pin 16 and the support. It is also within the contemplation of this invention to employ other means for this purpose, such as a conventional swivel directly between the arm 15 and the support 13. Additionally, the roughened surface 19 may be completely eliminated, so as to provide a smooth, uninterrupted surface on the inner face of the head band. Also, there is herein shown flexible links 11', made of inelastic tape or the like, one on each side of the head band, for engaging the strap 11 thereto. In some instances, the strap 11 will be connected directly to the head band 10. These are illustrative of changes which may be made herein.

What is claimed is:

1. A rotating head-carried toy including a relatively narrow headband, a pintle issuing from the top of the band, an assembly carried by the band including a support vertically positioned on the band, provided with axial recesses in its upper and lower terminals, the recess in the bottom of the support complementing and being slidably engaged on the pintle, the assembly also including a pin, one end of which is slidably mounted in the axial recess in the top of the support, the pin extending through one end of an arm, a flexible cable, one end of which is secured to the outer end of the arm, the opposite end of the cable being equipped with a ball, the arm being pivotally mounted on the pin, to permit swirling movement of the ball when the head of the user is moved, said arm being of such length as to permit the ball to hang as a pendulum in front of the face of the user, or in back of the head, and to be operated in an up and down substantially vertical plane, an elastic strap, the ends of which are secured to the ends of the band, to flex the ends of the latter against the head of the user, and prevent displacement of the band when the head of the user is moved in whirling the ball of the assembly in a predetermined path.

2. The rotating head-carried toy of claim 1 wherein a washer is interposed between the support and the arm to prevent binding of the arm on the top of the support, the top of the pin being headed to prevent casual displacement of the arm from the pin.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,517,147 11/24 Burnett 272--8O 1,692,719 11/28 Busey 132-59 1,813,423 7/31 Richard 13248 2,051,366 8/36 Catron 46-51 2,958,156 11/60 Schmahl et a1. 46-51 RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner. 

1. A ROTATING HEAD-CARRIER TOY INCLUDING A RELATIVELY NARROW HEADBAND, A PINTLE ISSUING FROM THE TOP OF THE BAND, AN ASSEMBLY CARRIED BY THE BAND INCLUDING A SUPPORT VERTICALLY POSITIONED ON THE BAND, PROVIDED WITH AXIAL RECESSES IN ITS UPPER AND LOWER TERMINALS, THE RECESS IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SUPPORT COMPLEMENTING AND BEING SLIDABLY ENGAGED ON THE PINTLE, THE ASSEMBLY ALSO INCLUDING A PIN, ONE END OF WHICH IS SLIDABLY MOUNTED IN THE AXIAL RECESS IN THE TOP OF THE SUPPORT, THE PIN EXTENDING THROUGH ONE END OF AN ARM, A FLEXIBLE CABLE, ONE END OF WHICH IS SECURED TO THE OUTER END OF THE ARM, THE OPPOSITE END OF THE CABLE BEING EQUIPPED WITH A BALL, THE ARM BEING PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ON THE PIN, TO PERMIT SWIRLING MOVEMENT OF THE BALL WHEN THE HEAD OF THE USER IS MOVED, SAID ARM BEING OF SUCH LENGTH AS TO PERMIT THE BALL TO HANG AS A PENDULUM IN FRONT OF THE FACE OF THE USER, OR IN BACK OF THE HEAD, AND TO BE OPERATED IN AN UP AND DOWN SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PLANE, AN ELASTIC STRAP, THE ENDS OF WHICH ARE SECURED TO THE ENDS OF THE BAND, TO FLEX THE ENDS OF THE LATTER AGAINST THE HEAD OF THE USER, AND PREVENT DISPLACEMENT OF THE BAND WHEN THE HEAD OF THE USER IS MOVED IN WHIRLING THE BALL OF THE ASSEMBLY IN A PREDETERMINED PATH. 